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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30129996">By The Fire</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TalesOfOnyxBats/pseuds/TalesOfOnyxBats'>TalesOfOnyxBats</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awkward Azula, Azucho, Bullying, F/F, Party, Romance, Socially awkward, beach</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 03:02:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,752</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30129996</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TalesOfOnyxBats/pseuds/TalesOfOnyxBats</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Seicho (cupholder chick) rescues a super awkward Azula from Chan’s rude party guests.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Azula/Background Character (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>By The Fire</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  <span>The girl had found her in the corner, jittery and anxious. Alone and pursued all at once. No one wants to talk to her, but everyone wants to stare at her. After several social blunders she has become the party’s central spectacle. She has become something of a party game herself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Several comments in, she is inclined to say that Zuko had made the right call in leaving the party with the slam of a door. And Mai had made the right move in following him out nearly ten minutes after. She can’t find TyLee and she wishes that she had followed Mai out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their remarks aren’t exactly hushed; she knows now that she is a freak, a fuckin’ weirdo, and a creep with atrochious pickup lines among other things. She is nearly certain that, that last one had come from Chan himself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She is damn sure that he has told everyone that she has been stalking around all night. That she can’t take rejection and had taken to following him all around the party after he was ‘generous’ enough to let her kiss him.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>She has been tucked away into this corner since the kiss. She had thought to remain on the balcony until everyone else made their way back onto the beach. She should have. At least this way she wouldn’t have to hear them talking. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She knows that she has made several mistakes tonight and the first of them had been letting everyone think that she is anything but above them.  She wishes that she could reassure herself that she is superior in most every way.  She thinks of pridefully reminding them of who she is but she doesn’t have much pride in her right now and she isn’t sure that she wants her impeccable image tarnished. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And even if that weren’t the case, tonight she doesn’t particularly feel like a princess. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe you should leave Chan alone and go home.” Ruon Jian remarks. She knows what he is doing and he knows just as well. He is going to make a spectacle of the both of them and she is torn between standing her ground as she always does and making a retreat like Zuzu and Mai. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps Chan should stop pining for </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” She mutters.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You think that he’s pining for you?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He certainly can’t keep me off of his tongue.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because you keep cramming it down his throat.” His remark earns approving laughter and a murmur of agreement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She cringes and her grip on her cup tightens. She clears her throat, “I meant that he can’t seem to stop talking about me.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, because you’ve been making moves all night and he’s getting tired of it.” He sneers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He volunteered to give me a tour of the house. He extended the offer.” Her grip tightens further. She thinks of perhaps burning them all to ashes. At the very least she thinks of peeling herself away from the wall and finding Chan. She could make an example of him. Instead she finds herself sweeping the crowd for TyLee. She wonders if the girl had left too. Even TyLee has her limits as far as attention goes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ruon-Jian’s brow crinkles, “why would he do that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because he…” what? Thinks that she’s ‘pretty’. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Or maybe it’s because you intruded on his </span>
  <em>
    <span>real </span>
  </em>
  <span>date. Right, Seicho.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Heads turn from her to another girl. To Seicho. To the girl who she...passed her drink to. She is thankful for the lapse in attention, for her face is a very vivid shade of scarlet. She braces herself for another cutting remark and tries to come up with possible ways to rebuff it. But her sharp mind has gone blunt. She doesn’t have any experiences to draw upon. Not tools at her disposal. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It wasn’t a date.” Seicho says. “I was trying to get him to leave. Your friend can’t take a hint and he can’t take rejection. I was relieved when she came along.” The girl nods towards Azula with a shrug. “Unfortunately things didn’t work out and Chan went back to stalking me.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Chan…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Has no room to call anyone a creep.” Seicho gives a dismissive wave as she makes her way across the now silent room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re lucky that I even invited you to this party, Sei! You’re a nobody. You wouldn’t have even had a chance if it weren’t for me.”  Chan declares. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seicho makes a point of saying nothing at all. Instead she finds Azula in the corner. Azula wishes that she wouldn’t have. She had been nearly done with her unnoticed escape and now they are all staring at her again. At she and Seicho.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You should be thankful that I’d hit on you even though I know what you looked like last year.”  Chan turns to the crowd. “Remember last year, guys.”  There is another rumble of laughter and now Seicho’s face is red. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come on, let’s go.” Her hand is on Azula’s shoulder. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have to find my...TyLee.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The cute one with the wide eyes and the braid?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Azula nods. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She left before ‘loser boy’ did.” She pauses. “Congrats, you’re the last one standing in your crew.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Azula can only manage a sputter. The audacity they have to leave her here on her own! At least TyLee probably assumed that she’d have Zuko and Mai. Her anger dies away, Zuko and Mai probably assumed that TyLee is still here. But they haven’t come back for her yet. She permits Seicho to lead her to the front door. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Later fatass!” Ruon remarks. Azula hears the slap of a high-five. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seicho’s footfalls become plenty more purposeful.  “It was a stupid party anyways! I knew I shouldn’t have come. Rin told me that I should have just stayed home and played Pai Sho with she and her brother.” She laments. Azula doesn’t think that she is talking to her but she listens anyways. “I could have had a nice night. We could have got some ice cream and went for a walk on the beach. Instead I let Chan pester me all night…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, it was a dreadful party. I have been to better ones.” This is a lie. Unless the formal palace dinners counted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I guess that I should thank you for rescuing me from him, even if it was only for an hour.”  She laughs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Azula nods. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to find your friends?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know where they are.” She beckons for Seicho to follow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>.oOo.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She finds that the fire is much more pleasant than the party ever could be. If Zuzu, Mai, and TyLee have any qualms about Seicho being there, they don’t vocalize them. In fact, they seem to rather enjoy her company. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She is charming and witty and for every overly dramatic thing that any of them monologue, she has a sly remark. Azula isn’t sure that the other three care much for it, but she finds it quite amusing. Doubly so when the girl quips about her own story. She waits until each of them has said their piece to say anything truly profound. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Frankly, it takes the princess aback. She tells Zuko that it would do him will to forgive himself, that no one else will if he can’t. She tells TyLee that she is more than a pretty face--she must be if she was smart enough to get the hell out of Chan’s party as soon as she did. She tells Mai that it is more than okay to be more reserved, that the world can’t always be loud and spunky. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And where no one else has anything to offer her, Seicho tells her that she doesn’t think that she is a monster. “I don’t know anything about your mom or your family. I won’t pretend to. But </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> don’t think that you’re a monster.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And somehow that is enough for Azula </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It might be because she knows that at least one person doesn’t think that she is. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It might be because, for much of the night she has felt far less than human; a human can communicate with other humans where a monster can only make garbled and uncanny attempts to impersonate human speech. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe she doesn’t look reassured enough because Seicho slings an arm around her and pulls her closer. For the first time that night, she does feel human. She feels like she is allowed to feel human. She swallows hard. She is allowed to be venerable and she is scared of vulnerability all the same. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seicho rubs her arm.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What about you?” She inquiries. “What’s your sob story? You don’t get a free pass.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seicho shrugs, “there isn’t much to say really. Everyone on this beach knows that I’m a loser.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Zuko scoffs, likely thinking of Ruon-Jian again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think that.” TyLee smiles. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You would if you saw me last year.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Eh.” Mai waves her hand. “I wouldn’t mind, I’m surrounded by losers.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Azula isn’t sure which of them exclaims, “hey!” first. Though it is nice to hear Mai chuckle, even if it is only a small one. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>.oOo.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mai and Zuko wander off first, keen on some alone time. Trekking along the beach. TyLee turns in soon after, declaring that she’d like to sort out her new shell collection before bed. So it is just she and Seicho once more. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Azula doesn't think that she minds this all too much. She finds it easier to settle into the woman’s arms. Dimly she thinks that she ought to be the one doing the holding. But for now she is content to be held. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seicho doesn’t speak, she simply runs a hand through Azula’s locks. It feels infinitely better than Chan’s half hearted joke of a kiss. Seicho is soothing. Seicho is easy to be around. It doesn’t feel so fake. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The fire is getting low.” Seicho remarks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Azula moves to light it again. “Better.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seicho nods. “The crackling adds a little something, don’t cha think?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Azula gives a nod of her own. It is nice amid the crashing of the waves and the rustling of palm fronds. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is relaxing. Honestly, it’s much better than that ridiculous party.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She is setting the bar rather low, but Azula understands the point. “Indeed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She finds herself dozing off to the sensation of the woman’s fingers toying with her hair. Suddenly she is very glad that she still has four more days left of her vacation. Maybe she will bring the girl home with her.</span>
</p>
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